North Pole Story Not Entirely Accurate; AP Corrects

Citing a report in The New York Times, The Associated Press erroneously reported on Aug. 19 that open water had been spotted on the North Pole for the first time in 50 million years, a possible sign of global warming.

In a correction, The Times said it had misstated the normal conditions of sea ice at the pole. It said open water probably has occurred there before because the Arctic Ocean is about 10 percent ice-free during a typical summer.

The Times also said the lack of ice at the North Pole is not necessarily a result of global warming.